Taiwan to foot part of bill to clean up Kenting spill

Several months of drawn-out negotiations over the Kenting oil spill have finally come to a close. But according to government regulations, the nation will have to foot part of the bill to remove the shipwrecked vessel from its shores.

The government will have to pay out about US$1.8 million from its own pocket to help salvage the ship and the oil that remains in the boat's hull.

In mid-January, the Greek cargo ship, the MV Amorgos, ran into submerged reefs near the Lungkeng Ecological Conservation Preservation Area (龍坑生態保護區) in Kenting National Park, Pingtung County.

About 1,150 tonnes of oil spilled in the accident, polluting coastal waters near Lungkeng.

The ship's agent promised to pay US$1.5 million for primary shore cleanup work, which was completed in early March. The agent has also hired a local salvage company to deal with the half-submerged wreck, which still holds 200 tonnes of fuel oil and 60,000 tonnes of iron ore.

The local salvage company, which is receiving technical assistance from a Singapore-based salvage company, estimates that the cost of the salvage operation will be about US$4.3 million.

However, according to regulations of Taiwan's Marine Pollution Prevention Law and Mercantile Harbor Law, the ship's agent has to pay only US$ 2.5 million.

The the government has no choice but pay the rest, a total of US$1.8 million.

Some lawmakers have criticized the government's willingness to foot this bill, saying such behavior is a "disgrace to the nation."

"Someone dumps waste in our front yard and we give the person money to express our gratitude," said KMT Legislator Lin Yi-shih (林益世).

Officials of the Ministry of Transportation and Communications, however, said yesterday that the government was not losing out in the oil spill case.

In the past, ministry officials said, ship's agents paid nothing for shipwrecks that happened off the country's shores.

For example, officials pointed out, with the Uganda, which ran aground near Kaohsiung in 1998, the government paid NT$115 million (about US$ 3.8 million) to deal with the wreck.

"The Mercantile Harbor Law has been criticized for being out-of-date, and the ministry will consider its revision," said Younger Wu (吳榮貴), head of the ministry's navigation and aviation department.

Environmental Protection Administration (EPA) officials said yesterday that financial losses pertaining to the oil spill were still only estimates.

"The EPA has asked a variety of agencies to estimate the financial losses suffered by the fishing industry as a result of the oil spill," EPA head Hau Lung-bin (郝龍斌) said.